Compdude's movie Reviews on Newgrounds

[There She Is!! step3]

I liked it, but I didn't LOVE it.

I'd first like to echo what many people have surely said too, and that's that I really love the "There She Is!" series.

And, I really enjoyed this episode. But the sad part is, I didn't LOVE it like the past episodes. Let me explain:

The episode wasn't BAD, not at all, but it just didn't have the CHARM of the first two. It doesn't feel like it covers new ground, and the pacing & tone was very odd and disjointed.

First, the first half. The episode starts out very fast and lighthearted, almost to the point of irreverence. And during that opening part, I think the animation actually moves with TOO much detail and quickness. That's a rare problem to have indeed! The first half needs to slow down a bit, so we can enjoy the wonderful interactions between these two characters. Not this kind of rapid-fire gags and a bunch of kooky action scenes.

But then, just when you settle into the wacky offbeat style, the tone changes to something more pensive, and turns into a somber, slow part with a cliffhanger. It's all a bit unsatisfying, really. Not that the series can't take a more serious tone, and I think it absolutely should, but by straddling two very different tones, the episode divests itself from a feeling of true genuineness.

To make things more frustrating, it was hard to determine exactly what was happening in the story. I haven't read any analysis or explanations, but if you have to read up to understand the story, there's a problem there. Perhaps it's partly the language barrier, but the series has always made its story clear in the past, so this shouldn't have been an issue.

Specifically, were Doki & Nabi (as they're now called) publishing the results of their first date there? If so, why? And to whom? And near the end, why is he asking her on a "second date" when it seems like at that point there's been at least three or four dates? What counted as the first date, and what did everything else they've done together so far signify then? And at the end, what exactly are they publishing/distributing then? It's all a little confusing, and it hampers the enjoyment of the episode.

You feel like you want the series to move on to new levels, when it seems to be reiterating the stories of the past.

You'd think after all this I've said that I hated this episode. That's not the case at all. But it's because I've loved the series SO much, and it's been such of such quality and heart, that I thought it deserved an honest and frank appraisal. Bad episode? No. A bit confusing and unsatisfying? Closer to the mark.

Regardless of all that, nice work SamBakZa on another great episode. I eagerly await your "step 4" in this wonderful series.

[Deep Sexy Space]

The music is the problem.

The music's the problem here.

See, I thought the animation was very good, and the story had a good premise. But the tone is completely confusing. The music suggests a kooky, rude-comedy sort of movie, but the animation makes it feel like a sci-fi thriller/horror short. The movie sort of ends up being a mish-mash of both, and it doesn't quite mix.

[Bad Baby]

I like it.

Very nice.

[Charlie the Unicorn 2]

Wonderful!

Okay first thing, getting this out of the way, YES, this sequel is NOT as intrinsically funny as the first cartoon. Nor is it as unique or spontaneous as the original, and it was that zany originality of the first cartoon that made it such a huge hit. ANYTHING to follow was going to feel a bit artificial by comparison, no matter what.

Having said that, this is unreservedly a FANTASTIC sequel. The best that could be expected, even. The zany humor is there in spades, the voices are great, and even the graphics have been stepped up from the original. Spot-on.

The only critique I have about this is the same that I had with the original. And that's that the song wasn't very good. For some reason, the songs have never seemed like a good fit for the story, or very funny.

The voice of Charlie seemed different too, which wasn't necessarily bad, but lacked some of the raspy harsh sound of the first. It's a personal taste whether or not you like the change.

All those are pretty nitpicking points though. I really, honestly loved this. A sequel seemed like such a daunting task that I never thought it would be attempted, much less at the same level of quality. I'm pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong on both counts. I hope there will be many more adventures of Charlie and his mischevious 'friends' in the years to come!

[Charlie the Unicorn]

Silly and hilarious!

Delightfully ludicrous! It's so cheerfully silly that I laughed uncontrollably. The way the blue and pink unicorns spazzed around the screen while they talked was hilarious. The voices were really good too, and the graphics were appropriately cheery. The only thing I thought felt out of place was the song at the end. It's very well done and clever, but somehow it felt out of place in the wacky theme of the cartoon. Maybe the song or the singing voice weren't goofy enough, or the song ran too long, I dunno. Some of the lyrics were kinda muddy and hard to hear over the music. It was a good song though, no doubt.
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Great flash cartoon!

[Random Acts]

Stand-up comedy quality.

Like a good standup comic sketch, this is short and sweet. Good setup, good punchline delivery, and a witty wrapup. I agree that the voicework is excellent; her voice sounds clear and animated. The graphics are pretty good too. Fun flash!

[The Life of a Ninja 2]

Ninja goodness.

Entertaining, long, and an improvement on the first! Most of the humor hit the mark, though I thought the Yakety-Sax part felt out of place. It had a lot of funny little touches, like the N1NJ4 license plate and such. Good mix of music too, I realized at the end credits the number and variety of pieces played. The animation is decent, though the characters could stand to move in a more animated way. Nice work!

[Barnyard Shenanigans!]

Hi-larious!

I don't think I've ever laughed so hard as the time when I first watched this flash, years ago. Come to think of it, I'm suprised that I haven't reviewed it already!
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It's no secret what makes this so funny - it's the zany Monty-python-style humor. It's great because the scenes get increasingly bloody and bizaare, until the gut-splitting finale.
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While the graphics leave something to be desired, this remains one of the greatest cheap laughs on Newgrounds.

[Retarded Animal Babies 13]

Witty and entertaining.

Dave keeps rolling out the great RAB material. As always, this episode has great animation, voices, menu interface, yadda yadda yadda... What I liked most is the adaptation of Star Wars to the RAB universe. That is, the RAB character personalities seemed to fit well to their chosen SW counterparts, and the parody names were quite clever and funny.
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The humor wasn't really laugh-out-loud funny in most parts; it was more of a "wow, that's really clever" feel. I take exception to the scene with Hans Satan however - that was downright hilarious. The only real detraction was the VERY long-winded opening title scene. Granted, it proved a point, but couldn't there be a skip button for us with limited attention or patience?
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And of course, the vulgar and graphic humor may not be everyone's fav. I don't mind the language or the violence so much, but I'm consistently disgusted scenes involving the puppy's phallus and its, shall we say, "dynamic" features. I don't want to see that crap.
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All in all though, nice flash as usual. Glad to see you still churning these things out!

[Star Wars Gangsta Rap: SE]

Simply stunning.

This is an amazing flash movie that borders on perfection. The original film was a hilarious musical take on Star Wars, even if the graphics weren't that hot. This updated version retains the charm of the original and presents it in the highest quality animation I've seen in a flash movie so far.
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As I said before, the animation is simply astonishing; and is without reservation the very best I've ever seen in a flash. I think it even beats Bentrame's other work, which is saying a lot. First, the character movements are very fluid, and it's downright hilarious whenever anyone busts into "gangsta-pose." Also, the camerawork is is dynamic and entertaining , and the transitions between scenes are varied and creative. Furthermore, the faces are well-drawn, and have a great range of expressions. The scene where Luke realizes who his father is is strikingly true to its film counterpart. Also, there is a tremendous attention to authentic movie detail, from the outfits to the machines and the backgrounds. Finally, I'm amazed by the number of movie scenes crammed into this flash. It's worth watching two or three times to catch every scene reference!
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And, of course, this movie retains what made the first version great - a hilarious and witty song parody of the original trilogy condensed into rap form. The song keeps a lively pace, and doesn't really have any slow or mundane parts.
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On a smaller note, the movie interface is excellent, complete with all relevant info on authors, authorship, and other movie versions. I appreciate the movie toggle buttons as well.
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This is top-quality work. A lot of effort must have gone into this flash, and the results are superbly entertaining. Very, very well done!